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Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Obsessing about the US Open

Apologies for not writing. I have been in obsessive mode. I’ve spent the last two weeks obsessing about everything to do with the US Open. It’s my annual torment. Although to be honest it also gives me pleasure, so much so that I have concluded that there is a part of me that simply loves to obsess. I must get off on dithering.

First I looked into purchasing a mini-plan. You know, one of those Labor Day weekend deals that include tickets and hotel. The lowest priced I found cost almost $3,000. Who can afford that? I guess now I understand why Bernie Madoff managed to screw so many affluent New Yorkers out of their easily-earned/inherited wages. There are folks out there with serious money. Unfortunately, I am not one of them. So I guess it will be my annual New Jersey commute. Not complaining. I love me some New Jersey.

And then there was the business of the camera. There’s a reason I never posted photos after going to the USO last year. And it’s not just because I was too lazy to download the photos from my point-and-shoot. I finally got around to downloading them sometime during Roland Garros, but concluded that they were not worth publishing anywhere, least of all on my site. There’s just no substitution for inadequate tennis photos captured by an inadequate camera.

So this year I have been obsessing about purchasing a new camera. I used to own a Nikon SLR. I used to take wonderful photos with it. And then, some years ago I discovered point-and-shoots. And got derailed. But at the back of my mind I always promised myself that one of these days I would haul out the old SLR and make fine use of it. This is because I thought (stupidly) that I still owned it. Unfortunately, I have not opened the bag containing that camera since I fled the islands after bandits made it clear that I could only stay at my own peril. So some days ago I finally opened the bag, only to discover a bunch of trash that I would never use. Whoever helped me pack and flee apparently also decided to help themselves to my camera.

Hence my new obsession. Should I buy another SLR, a DSLR, or a mega zoom? How many pixels should my poor camera try to squeeze into a frame? And if (when) I end up in the bleachers, is a 10x megazoom enough or should I spring for 20x? Heck, why not go for 26x as one of the new Olympus cameras boasts? I am so confused.

I’ve also spent the last two weeks trying to find tickets. I checked the US Open website and got re-directed to Ticketmaster. But every time I tried to purchase tickets through this company, my selected seats were not available and I was redirected to Ticketsnow. If you’re an obsessive like me, the little camera-thingy showing you your selected view is simply addictive. I’ve lost track of how many seats I selected only to find myself unsure. Are they close enough to the court? And what does it mean that tickets may cost more or less than their face value? Would the $125. seats in the bleachers actually cost only $75. at the Box Office? To buy or not to buy? Perchance to wait.

In desperation I called the Box Office one Sunday. I asked the person answering the phone to help me with a tickets question. She said that it was Sunday and I should call back in the morning. Instead, I moved on to another obsession.

I started checking eBay. There I discovered that people sell their parking spots at the US Open. Who owns a parking spot at the US open? And why do sellers not always make it clear that what you are bidding on is a chance to park your car, not a chance to attend the tournament for $30.? After a series of fruitless bids, I logged off.

But if I am truly honest I will admit that all of this is secondary for now. I need to log back on to eBay. Maybe there is a $30. ticket being sold by a kindly old lady who has decided to take pity on a tennischick. I can dream can’t I?